noun
-
(often plural) an article of clothing
-
outer covering
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of garment
1300–50; Middle English garnement < Old French garniment, equivalent to garni ( r ) to garnish + -ment -ment
Explanation
A garment is a piece of clothing. The area of New York City where clothes are manufactured is known as the Garment District. Derived from the French word for "equipment," garment is a somewhat generic term you can use when the specific kind of clothing you're describing is not the point. A dress, for example, is a dress, and pants are pants. They are not the same thing, unless you refer to them both as garments, in which case they are the same thing.
Vocabulary lists containing garment
100 SAT Words Beginning with "G"
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Drama
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What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The garment is on display in the Air and Space Museum's "Futures in Space" gallery, alongside different objects, including toys, games and movie posters.
From BBC • Jun. 5, 2026
Shoppers are increasingly buying multiple versions of the same garment, and then sending back those that don’t fit.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 5, 2026
On June 6, 2025, federal agents raided a downtown garment business, detaining workers and arresting labor leader David Huerta, head of Service Employees International Union California.
From Los Angeles Times • May 27, 2026
In a recent interview, the humor writer said he wears the garment onstage during his speaking tours and even while running errands, including a trip to the local UPS.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 25, 2026
In the afternoon, when I rise, the garment is wrinkled, and I have no one to blame but myself.
From "The Cruel Prince" by Holly Black
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
